Corn popper



Nov. 22, 1.927.

F. E. RICHARDSON CORN POPPER Oyiginal Filed June 16, 1924 Fig. i.

Fig. 3.

' Attorney.

Patented Nov. 22, 1927.

rnannnroir n 'inomnnson, or reunion zl iealm,'110Wa.

com; P0122113.

. Application filed June 1 19 Serial Q- 18- l m Ap V3 192 My invention'relates to improvements in inclosed conveyers, and the ob ect of my 1mprovement is to provide a device of this class which includes housed propelling meansfof the screw-conveyertype for specifically handling pop-corn while being roasted, or other materials for other uses as maybe desired.

This object I have accomplished b. the means which are hereinafter describe and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of nvention herein disclosed can be made withln'the scope of what is claimed without depart ng from the spirit of-the invention.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is'a vertical longitudinal axial section of my improved device, with elements of the same 7 disclosed inside elevation, and with parts broken away.

Fig. 2 is a perspective side elevation of the three housing sections as disassembled and spread apart in usual juxtaposition.

The devlce may be mounted upon any suitable support 23 having a recess or vertical opening 24, andjhaving a depressed end or shelf 81. 1 A sectional housingfis mounted over said opening24g the housingbeing open at the'bottom so thata gas-burner 25 or any other heating means may be mounted in the vopeningf beneathf the housing. The [main arched shape," longitudinally and horizontally -.elongated v part 17 of the housing is of andprovided with a handle 18. l

End sections 7 and 11 of similar-"shape have flanges 9 and 12 respectivelydirected towardeach other to inclose the end margins of the housing member 17. ff 1 An open ended substantiall' horizontal hollow cylinder 5 hasits endsa utting upon and in fact closed" by the end wallsfof the standard sections 7 and 11, and the section or standard 7 may have feet secured to the base 23 while the other end standard 11 may be removably securedupon the abutting end of the section 17 by means of a cross-rod 20 set in notches 21 in ofli'set arms .19 projecting from the part 17 past said part 11.

tivelyto, fit and said cylinder 5. An axial solid stem 1 traverses the cylinder 5 to project fromboth ends thereof through bearing openings 6 and 22 respectively in said standards 7 and charge-port popper, some means jlarge'd or expanded .at the delivery end ofthe cylinder to receive the dischar e irom the outlet-port '14: should be provide "I haveshown means therefor,

wardly hollowed arcuate flanged seats. 10 and-13 ar fixed on the'inner walls of the end sections or standards 7 Land 11 respec-f supportthe end parts of 1 1; At the'right-hand a handled crank 38 end of said cylinder "5, and the other 'standard 11 has a relatively wide'outletr or dis- 14 in communication withthe discharge end of part. A hopper 27 has itsopen diminished lower part in communication with the inletthe-cylinden'at its lower port 8, and is supported-on a short standard 26. A small slide 29 is vertically slidable through a slot 28 in the hopperend with which to control the delivery thereof.

i An Archimedean screw propeller 2 is fixedly mounted around the stem 1 within saidcylinder 5'to have the outer edges of the spiral threads thereof in frictional contact with the inner wall of the cylinder and fitting tightly and removably so as to cause the cylinder to rotate with the same. While the threads 2 maybe of the same pitch throughout I prefer to va the pitch thereof in such a Way as to gradua ly or progressively widen the same or the lnterspace of thejthreads in alongitudinal direction toward the delivery or discharge'endofthe cylinder '5. Therefore I have illustratedone mode of effecting this. Thefirst few turns of the threads is taken at the same pitch, andfthence'toward or the whole length oft he threads the pitch is changed by stages or steps to thus be progressively increased. .The purpose of this will be explained hereinafter.

The'deliveryend. frtof the cylinder 5 is provided "with circumferentially arranged rows of small apertures 15 for screening. A

basin 16 may be placed'therebelow to receive from said apertures. As the primary or specific use of mydevice is that of acorn-H for receiving the en rams of thepop-corn being arotatable circular table"35 loosely mounted upon a'vertical stemf33 at: an axial opening, thestem 33 fixed in a stepbearing or socket 320i the shelf '31, so that v nearorfat its margin may rotated past the por 14m .mce ve u n, t ef i till regularly filled thereby. To-automatically rotate the table 35 I have mounted a friction-disk 37 upon the rotatable stem of shaft 1 the edge of said disk bear ingdrictionally upon the upper surface of the table to rotate speed of rotation of, the shaft 1. i a

The numeral 30 denotes a small conical container of liquefied butter whose lower diminished end delivers into an axial bore 3 in the left-hand end-of the stem or shaft 1, and the latter has anangularly-directed passage from said bore to a portd which delivers into the cylinder between threads 2 a short distance beyond the end of the cylinder, where the'butter may immerse the yet unexpanded kernelsol pop-corn just delivered by the hopper 27. a l I The kernels are vkept moving toward the discharge end of the cylinder when the stem l'is' rotated in one direction, turning the kernels over and over 'to'subject their surfaces equally without burning to heat from the heater25. The progressively widened interspaces of the threads 2 afiord room for the expanding kernels as popped. Any unpopped kernels are delivered into the basin 16 through the apertures 15, the popped kernels being discharged through the outletport 1 1 into the moving receptacles 36. The housing is spaced from the cylinder and retains the heat, butits sections may be readily disassembled, as also the cylinder from the screw, for cleaning.

Having described myinvention, what .I' and desire to secure by Letters claim asnew, Patent, isi 1 j I j 1; A device of the character described,

sivelywidening pitch. removably fixed. there- .in to extend therethrough, a hopperiadapted to deliverinto the receiving end of the cylinder, and a receptacle t0 receive from the delivery end of said'cylinder.

' 2. A device of the character described,-

comprising a rotatable hollow cylinder, an Archlmedean screw fixed removably 'with in the cylinder, a table rotatably mounted adjacent the delivery end of said cylinder to receive material therefrom carried through.

the Convolutions of the screw while rotating 1 in one direction, and driving connections be-' tween said rotatable cylinder and table.

3. A device of the character described, comprising a horizontal rotatable'hollow cylin- V der, an Archimedean screw removably thereln, said screw having an axis projecting from its delivery end, a table rotatably mounted to marginally receive from said delivery end, and a friction-disk upon said axis in driving contact with said table toroprising a horizontal rotatable hollow cylinand the other having a relatively larger delivery-port, and the delivery end part of it at a speed ratio desired relative to thesaid cylinder having therearound numerous smaller delivery apertures for sifting purposes'in the removing'of smaller objects before the delivery through said delivery-port of lar er objects. .7

5. device or the character described, comprising a sectional open bottom housing, said housing having inletand outlet-ports at its opposite ends,'a horizontal hollow cylinder rotatably mounted in, surrounded'fby and spaced from said housing with its ends'closed by the'abutting end walls of the housing separably to receive from said inlet-port and todischarge by said outlet-port,'a lengthhollow cylinder'rotatably mounted in "said housing with its ends closed by the abutting end walls of the housing to receive from said inlet-port and to discharge by said outletport, an axial stem ,trmiersing',thecylinder v and having an Archimedean screw fthereon're movably engaged with the inner walls of the cylinder to rotate therewith, the ends of the stem projecting through apertures in the i v ,end-walls of the housing, the stem at the comprisinga rotatably .mounted hollow cylinder, anArchimedean screw, of progresreceiving end of the cylinder having an axial bore extending a distance into the cylinder with adischarge passage into the cylinder,

a hopper deliverin into said bore and means her projecting end of said I for rotating the ot stem. i j V i 7 A device ofthe character described, comprising a rotatable hollow cylinder, an Archimedean screw mounted fixedly and removably therein, a hopper delivering into-the re-V,

ceiving end of said cylinder, another hopper delivering into said receiving end, thedeend of said cylinder only.

8. A device of the character described,coin; prising a housing open at the bottom, a,hol-

low cylinder rotatably mounted in saidhousa ing, and an Archimedean screw of one dithereof shaped and arranged with progrssively widening interspaces longitudinally I a ameter removablyfixd said cylinder, the A convolutlons of the screw having stages mounted therein, difl'erent zones of the screw being differently widened longitudinally from its receiving toward its delivery end to afford increasing clearance for successively popping kernels.

9. A device of the character described, comprising a hollow cylinder supported for horizontal rotation, and an Archimedea-n screw in a plurality of series of increasing lengths of interspaces toward the delivery end of the cylinder to increase clearance room for expanding propelled objects.

10. A device of the character described, comprising a. hollow horizontally disposed cylinder, an axial stem traversing said cylinder to project from its ends, means on one end of said stem for rotating-it, an Archimedean screw mounted on said stem and removably engaged with the inner wall of the cylinder with the pitch of the threads increased by stages progressively towards the delivery end of the cylinder beginning at a distance from the receiving end of the cylinder,

to increaselengthwise clearance space for expanding bodies propelled by the thread and a hopper delivering into the receiving end of the cylinder.

11. A device of the character described, comprising a horizontally disposed hollow cylinder, an Archimedean screw fitted therein with its pitch increasingly and progressively widened from a distance from the receiving end of the cylinder, the delivery end part of the cylinder having ,circumferentially arranged numerous small screening apertures,

and a sectional open bottom housing for said cylinder.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature at Waterloo, Iowa, May 23, 1924.

FREDERICK E. RICHARDSON. 

